Hierarchical BOA Solves Ising Spin Glasses and MAXSAT

Abstract:
Theoretical and empirical evidence exists that the hierarchical Bayesian
optimization algorithm (hBOA) can solve challenging hierarchical problems and
anything easier. This paper applies hBOA to two important classes of real-world
problems: Ising spin-glass systems and maximum satisfiability (MAXSAT). The paper
shows how easy it is to apply hBOA to real-world optimization problems. The
results indicate that hBOA is capable of solving enormously difficult problems
that cannot be solved by other optimizers and still provide competitive or better
performance than problem-specific approaches on other problems. The results thus
confirm that hBOA is a practical, robust, and scalable technique for solving
challenging real-world problems.